Sidelined

This track was written after a romantic liaison where the other person told me they would like me to change the way that I looked for them.

We often hear that ‘it’s what’s on the inside that counts.’
While I agree with this to an extent, character is more important to me than looks, it’s inarguable that the way we look will have a profound impact on our lives.

The extent to which we conform or subscribe to society’s aesthetic expectations of us, or the extent to which we rebel or reject them will colour our outcomes.

This song reflects my thoughts on the nature of our aesthetics, while questioning whether we can overcome them
lyrics
You want a skinny lover
And so I find
I have the wrong body
Even though I have the right mind

You want a skinny lover
And that’s perfectly fine
But it means you will always want some other body
More than you’ll want mine

But this is familiar, it’s who we’ve become
Slaves to aesthetic this is the tune that we hum

Can we change who we are?
Can we remove the filter from over our hearts?
If you’re not beautiful you’ll be side-lined
Can we let go of our pride
Of how we look on the outside?
Anyways I thought love was supposed to be blind

You want a skinny lover
And so I find
I have the wrong body
Even though I am the perfect kind

But this is familiar, it’s who we’ve become
Slaves to aesthetic this is the tune that we hum

Can we change who we are?
Can we remove the filter from over our hearts?
If you’re not beautiful you’ll be side-lined
Can we let go of our pride
Of how we look on the outside?
Anyways I thought love was supposed to be blind

For the first time in my life
I wish I was somebody else
All those bottles of teenage self-consciousness
Come tumbling down from the shelf

But this is familiar its who we’ve become
Slaves to aesthetic this is the tune,
This is the tune that we hum

Can we change who we are?
Can we remove the filter from over our hearts?
If you’re not beautiful you’ll be side-lined
Can we let go of our pride
Of how we look on the outside?
Anyways I thought love was supposed to be blind
credits
releases 17 April 2015
Song Credits
Written by Shelley Segal
Produced and arranged by Robert Upward
Co-produced and mixed by Lindsay Gravina
Recorded at Birdland Studios
Engineered by Brenton Conan
Mastered at West West Side Music by Alan Douches
All vocals Shelley Segal
Acoustic guitar – Shelley Segal
Strings arranged by Xani Kolac
Horns arranged by Tibor Gyapjas.
Violin and electric violin – Xani Kolac.
Viola – Leah Zweck
Cello – Blair Harris
Piano – Luke Howard
Bass – Rod Bustos
Drums – Mark Leahy
Percussion – Nic Noble
Trumpet – Tibor Gyapjas
Sax – Paul Williamson
Electric guitar – Andrew Robertson